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National Geographic 100 Greatest Adventure Books

What are the essential ingredients in a great adventure story? The Latin root of the word, oddly enough, means “an arrival,” but adventure almost always entails a going out, and not just any going out but a bold one: Sail the Pacific on a balsa raft; pit your skills against K2; sledge to the South Pole. It is a quest whose outcome is unknown but whose risks are tangible, a challenge someone meets with courage, brains, and effort—and then survives, we hope, to tell the tale.

Like a hot air balloon, book lists inflate and ignite me. I just stumbled across thisMay 2004 list. They are all thrilling, true stories. The website has a short recap of each book. Here is an abridged list of the titles (and links to Amazon) and Kindle availability.

I’m interested in your feedback. Which books have you enjoyed? What areas would you like to vicariously explore? Which titles look intriguing? Are the books you would add to this list?

I found this list because of my interest in Beryl Markham’s West of the Night, which I’m listening to while I garden. (I love it.) Books on my shelf: 16, 17, 27, 33, 37, 53. Books on my Kindle: every Free title. It’s a knee-slapper that someone who rarely takes mild risks loves adventure books.

10 thoughts on “National Geographic 100 Greatest Adventure Books”

Hasn’t National Geographic heard of Mildred Cable and Eva French, and their travels in the Gobi desert?I am astonished. They were missionaries with the China Inland Mission, and quite indomitable. Cable seemed to be the writer, and wrote quite a few books I think. A quote from Wikipedia says, “A reviewer said of Cable and French’s book, The Gobi Desert, that “this may be the best of many good books about Central Asia and the old Silk Road through the deserts of Western China.”” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Mildred_CableThe wiki article gives more info. Fascinating. And an amazing missionary endeavor that should not be forgotten.

I love this list!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you for finding and posting it! Steve and I are about to go out for the evening, but I’ll definitely come back later and let you know which ones I’ve read and which ones I own, but have not yet read.

I have read many of these and really like the list. One book that few people have heard of but that I consider one of my favorite adventure books of all time is this one:Kayaks Down the Nileby John Goddardhttp://books.google.com/books?id=nTpyAAAAMAAJ&q=Qenahttp://www.amazon.com/Kayaks-Down-Nile-John-Goddard/dp/0842515755This book recounts the first ever complete trip from the sources of the Nile to the Mediterranean. It was done in 1950.

Awesome list! I’m planning on reading The Long Walk this year; my brother devoured it in less than a day, so I know it’s gotta be good. :)I’d add David Howarth’s We Die Alone to the list. It’s a superb WWII survival story. You can read my review of it here.Thanks for the list! I’ll be adding some of these titles to my Kindle library.

Now this is a list I could sink my teeth into! I would start however with the grandaddy of adventure writers – John Muir. Superb writer, fascinating man. A good introduction is “The Wilderness World of John Muir”, an anthology or his “Travels In Alaska” or “My First Summer In The Sierra”. Several of his books are free on Kindle. However, for just mind boggling adventure I would put “Endurance” #1. “The Snow Leopard” by Peter Matthiesen is gorgeous from beginning to end. (Other books of his are disappointing.) Here’ a favorite paragraph from “Snow Leopard”, http://notaboutme.typepad.com/not_about_me/2011/04/namaste.html . “Desert Solitaire” is another favorite masterpiece. Not really an adventure story, more from the nature genre. If that one’s listed I’d have to add “A Sand County Almanac” by Aldo Leopold. For sure in my top 10 favorites of all time.